Hey Reader!
Let’s be real for a second: editing is hard.
Not because you’re doing it “wrong,” but because you’re trying to turn a real, living, chaotic moment into something that feels like what you lived.
And when you’re out climbing cliffs, hiking waterfalls, or chasing sunsets across Europe (hi, it’s me 🙋♀️), you don’t always get perfect lighting, perfect colors, or perfect anything.
But here’s the magic:
Your edit is where your personality, your memory, and your creativity get to take over.
It’s your chance to make the photo your own.
And if editing has ever made you want to throw your laptop into the sea… same. 😂
So let’s fix that.
✨ 3 Easy Editing Tips for Adventure Photos
These are quick wins that instantly make your images feel more cinematic and alive:
1. Start with the Light (Always!)
Instead of jumping straight into color sliders, fix your exposure first.
Bring up the shadows so your details come back, lower the highlights so your sky doesn’t explode, and adjust the white/black points to create contrast that feels natural.
Light is everything. Get this right, and the rest flows.
2. Add Color With Intention, Not Chaos
Adventure photos have A LOT going on, so choose what you want to stand out.
Warm up golden-hour shots, cool down mountain scenes, and use HSL to gently guide the viewer’s eye.
A little goes a long way here.
3. Sharpen the Story, Not Just the Photo
Use clarity, texture, and selective sharpening to highlight the subject whether it's rocks, water, your mermaid tail, your bestie hiking, whatever tells the story.
And dial back the background slightly so the focus pops.
If you want a deeper step-by-step breakdown (with examples!), the full article is waiting for you — and trust me, it's packed with the good stuff.
🎥 More of a Visual Learner?
No worried! Because of this, I've started doing real-time edits on my own photos to demonstrate how to properly edit your adventure captures.
📘 Want to Level Up Even Faster?
I also made an Adventure Editing Guide that walks you through my exact workflow — the one I use for waterfalls, blue hour, castles, city streets, and all the “this lighting hates me” moments in between.
It’s simple, beginner-friendly, and perfect if you’ve ever felt lost in Lightroom.
(And yes… this is where your editing life gets way easier. 😉)
Stay adventurous,
🧜🏻♀️ Alexandra
The Bucket List Mermaid
P.S. Here are some more resources that I found this week that can help in your adventure:
